Southern Jam Fest: Day 1 Live Blog

HAMPTON, Va. — Widely lauded as one of the top grassroots basketball tournaments outside of the Live Period, the Southern Jam Fest is BACK for another year.

This year’s tournament features one of the event’s deepest fields ever, bringing some of the nation’s top teams and prospects to Hampton. As always, HoopGroup.com will be providing live updates and daily recaps throughout the weekend.

10:50 pm — As the final game set wraps up, we are signing off of this live blog for the night. If today’s action is any indication, we are in for a jam-packed day of action tomorrow, and a fantastic Championship Sunday.

Be sure to scroll through our Twitter and Instagram timelines for more content, and check back tomorrow morning for a full rundown of standout performers from Day 1. As a reminder, brackets are updated automatically after each game set is completed.

10:11 pm — Led by the Maker Brothers, Team Loaded VA is asserting itself as a dominant force in this tournament, right out of the gate. Taking a 40-point lead into halftime of their opening game, Loaded VA may be the prohibitive favorite in the 17U division this weekend.

10:01 pm — As the night begins to come to a close, FBGC Dynamic Disciples (Md.) pulled out one of the more impressive wins in the opening round of 17U action, beating Mid-Atlantic Select. Strong efforts from Rob Montgomery and Daryl Smith were key for the Disciples, a group that has played together for several years with a high level of success.

9:42 pm —Dennis Smith and Team Loaded NC put on an absolute show in their opening round win. Smith and Bam Adebayo lived up to their billing as Top 10 nationally ranked prospects, wowing the capacity crowd watching in the bleachers.

9:03pm — Elite big man brothers Thon and Matur Maker have arrived and will play with Team Loaded VA this weekend. Thon Maker — who will likely reclassify to the 2015 class and enter college next year — is the nation’s most highly coveted uncommitted prospect.

8:32 pm — As we get set here for the debut of Boo Williams 17U on Court 1, the crowd continues to grow. The hometown team is trying to defend the 17U title, which it captured here last year in dramatic fashion.

8:01 pm — Don’t sleep on DC Thunder as a dark horse contender for the 17U title here. Maryland-bound point guard Anthony Cowan plays a starring role, but the Thunder squad is deep, playing 9 or 10 players regularly, all of whom seem to have bought into their roles on the floor.

7:27pm — At the 17U level, The District (Md.) held on for a tight win over Team Pro Look (Va.) in what has arguably been the most competitive and entertaining game thus far. District guard Trystan Pratapas led all scorers with a total of 24 points, including two late free throws to seal the win. Pratapas connected on six three-pointers as he filled up the scoresheet.

6:51 pm — Colton Lawrence of Team Supernatural (Pa.) 17U has caught the eye of several scouts in attendance with a dominant all-around performance in his team’s first game set. One of the tournament’s early top performers.

Colton Lawrence (6’3″ 2016 from Eastern Lebanon County High) with the first emphatic flush for Team Supernatural (PA) at the #HGJamfest

6:18pm — We’re only an hour into the weekend, and we’ve already seen a major media turnout here in Hampton. More than a dozen media and scouting outlets are already in attendance, with many more slated to attend tonight, and throughout the weekend.

6:03pm — Despite some brutal traffic during a long day of traveling for many teams, the first game set has been superb. The energy on the floor is excellent, and there is a solid crowd growing here at Boo Willliams Sportsplex. A close 15U matchup between Team Melo (Md.) and BBA Hoops (N.J.) has been the highlight of the opening game set. BWSL James 17U and Pro Look 16U have rolled to big wins to open their weekends.

4:30pm — We’re about 30 minutes away from tip-off here at Boo Williams Sportsplex for Day 1 of this year’s Southern Jam Fest. We’ll be updating brackets after each game set, and using this live blog to provide updates on key matchups and top individual performers.